2. Abilities
Notes
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3. Hero Role
Now that we have looked at Witch Doctor's abilities, it's time to discuss his role in a team. His role is a semi-initiator and ganker. Thanks to Maledict, he's also a fantastic finisher, with the bonus damage from Maledict able to finish off fleeing heroes before they can get to safety. This is especially true if the fleeing hero(es) has/have been taking damage from your Death Ward. Regarding the sem-initiator, Paralysing Cask has a great casting range, meaning you can cast it from relative safety to briefly disable the enemy heroes to allow your tank to initiate the team fight.
Another role Witch Doctor has is to be the team ward-placer. I won't cover warding in any kind of depth in this guide, however you can read all about it in Lycan's Warding Guide - Seeing is Believing or Rape. However I will say that as a heavy ganker, being able to ward at even a basic level can be important for you because your ganking style requires getting up close and personal with an enemy, so knowing if there are any surprises waiting for you is often times vital.
All I'll provide is the following map (courtesy of Lycan's guide) to show you some places you can put wards as the team ward placer.
With the (very) basic facts about your warding role done, I'll move on. With Voodoo Restoration you can also be called upon to provide regeneration for your allies, since you are the support hero. 40 hp/sec is quite substancial and it's equal to the regeneration of HoT on a hero with 2k health, so it's quite a lot of regeneration. With a decent mana regenerative item, Voodoo can be left switched on for extended periods of time before you need to stop.
As a ganker, Witch Doctor needs to be part of a team. One man ganking strategies will likely get you killed so it's best if you have some backup when you go ambushing. With that backup, you are more likely to come out alive, or at the very least with a kill or assist. Don't be disappointed if you get mostly assists and only a few kills, you're a supportive ganker, that's how it's meant to be. That said, thanks to Maledict, you will likely score your fair share of "last hits" thanks to it's accumulated damage.
Hopefully now you have a grasp of the role of Witch Doctor within a team, now it's time to move on to items.
4. Items
i. Upfront Items
When it comes to buying start items for Witch Doctor, there are a few ways you can go. I will examine 3 with randoming Witch Doctor and 3 with choosing Witch Doctor. In all builds I have included 1 lot of Observer Wards, because warding is part of your role, and whatever lane you chose, you will be able to place those two wards in strategic places, based on the map in this guide OR Lycan's warding guide.
All Random/Captains Mode/-random
Items (a) - 789 gold (2 Tangos)
| This build provides for most of Witch Doctor's basic needs. HP, MP, mana regeneration and vision. The +3 all-stats boosts your health from 492 up to 549, you mana from 312 to 351, giving you more mana with which to cast your spells. The tangos are for health regeneration and the Clarities give you some handy mana regeneration. |
| If you are facing a more harassing lineup, then this build may be more appropriate. Not only does it provide more health and mana, but also better health replenishment through a healing salve. This build beefs your health up to 606, your mana to 390. This build provides more mana and health than before, but it lacks the mana regeneration of the Clarity potions. |
| This build is more suited to when the enemy team has spammy spell casters like Zeus, Rooftrellen, Troll Warlord, etc. Heroes who can cast away all day and seem like they never run out of mana. Magic Stick allows you to have an extra emergency heal when you need it, provided it has charges, the Gauntlet provides bumper health, in this case 587hp, however it gives little mana, just 338. |
All pick/Single Draft/Random Draft
Items (a) - 599 gold (3 clarities)
| Almost identical to the first All random build, this time with just 1 tango and 3 clarities. And all with just 4 gold to spare as well. |
| This offers few stats but it gives you a buffer against casters who love spamming spells. Magic Stick when fully charged can give a 150hp/mp instant heal which can be very very useful, the Salve gives a further buffer. |
| Stats, Clarities, Salve and wards. Everything Witch Doctor needs early on to stay in lane. 2 Clarities should be enough to see you throughthe first 5 or 6 minutes of the game if you have a steady flow of spells, the Salve should help to keep you alive if you get ganked but manage to escape. |
ii. Core Items
 | As I have said multiple times before, because you are a ganker, you are going to be moving around a fair bit. So while you are moving around, you will have a chance to fulfil your other role as team warder, like placing wards at the rune spawn points, among other places. It's always handy to have a set of wards in case they are needed. |
 | Basic boots are a must as soon as possible for a ganker like Witch Doctor. Rushing basic boots allows you to either net that extra kill or escape that extra hit from enemies in order to escape. Also, buying regular boots saves you 950 gold from buying Power Treads. |
 | Providing the same survivability in terms of strength as a bracer, Urn of Shadows comes with bonus mana regeneration and an active ability that encourages being part of team fights and ganking. The more kills you get the more heals/DoT you get. Generally speaking, it's always best to buy an Urn in stead of a Bracer because of the extra bonuses the Urn gives which benefit Witch Doctor so much more than the stats of a Bracer. |
 | As a ganker, few items are more useful than the Bottle. Giving very useful regeneration, as well as the possibility of very useful ganking runes like Invisibility and Haste. Also, because you are a ganker, you are going to be roaming the map a fair bit, so having this regen on the run is invaluable, since you don't have the funds early or mid game for passive regeneration items. |
Core Extension
 | Ok. Black King Bar. It's main draw cards are the +10 strength, which increases your health by 190 and the Avatar ability, which gives magic immunity for a short time. Because your ultimate is a channelling spell, you are left vulnerable to stuns and other interrupting spells. And while each use of BKB reduces it's duration by 1 second (with a minimum of 5 seconds) it's still a very very useful item because of that protection that only ultimates can penetrate. This item is a must for Witch Doctor. |
 | Sure, this is expensive, but it improves your ultimate a heap (allows you to damage up to 3 heroes at a time and deal 450 damage per second to each). It gives survivability through the +200hp and +10 strength, totalling 290hp, which isn't bad. The +130 mana from 10 intelligence is also very handy. To start off with, you should get an Ogre Axe to give you the flexibility of buying this or a BKB, depending on which one you prefer to choose. |
Optional Replacements
 | Sometimes it is necessary to place Sentry Wards to weed out those pesky assassins and their invisibility. So in that case you should carry sentry wards or if you prefer you could carry dust for ganks but Observer Wards > Sentry Wards > Dust > Gem for the purposes of this guide. |
 | If the enemy team is full of DPS hard carries like Troll Warlord, Ursa Warrior, Drow Ranger, Clinkz, and other heroes without high-powered nukes, then a Ghost Scepter is a much better option because BKB doesn't protect from physical attacks, this does, but at the cost of taking 40% extra damage from spells. |
 | This item may seem thoroughly strange but in fact Wind Walk has a nicely hidden secret. If you start channelling a spell then go into a Wind Walk, YOU WON'T STOP CHANNELLING. Basically, you can keep casting your ultimate while invisible, rendering you immune to everything except true sight and AoE spells. If you think you can do it, go for it. This tactic is just as good as using a BKB or Ghost Scepter, it's really just a matter of choice in the end. |
 | If you are facing faster MS heroes, you may wish to swap a bracer for a Eul's Scepter because of the bonus 25 MS and the Cyclone Disable, which allows you to either get away or get into position to destroy them. The mana regeneration is very useful as well. |
 | With his crappy strength gain, Witch Doctor needs survivability. And a bracer combined with a BKB adds 304hp, which is not a bad boost. It also adds to his mana pool with the bonus intelligence. The agility is negligible so buy Bracers for the strength they give. Good and relatively cheap survivability, but an Urn is preferable. If you already have an Urn and need more HP, then buy a Bracer. |
iii. Other
 | As with most early game item builds, Magic Wand is a great little item for surviving against annoying harass casters and spammy casters who just love to cast spells. Giving +3 to all stats and the Energy Charge, Wand is a good early game item you can generally rely on to deliver. |
 | A recent addition to the game, Soul Ring is a great burst mana item. I've personally not bought Soul Ring on Witch Doctor but it can work early game if you aren't having money problems. While I would recommend Urn over Soul Ring, that's not to say Soul Ring isn't a good item for Witch Doctor, since your healing ability negates the HP loss easily. |
 | A very decent item thanks to Return, so for 3.5 seconds any damage you take is returned in full to the hero who dealt it to you. This can be of great value when channeling Death Ward, because it provides a layer of protection and deterrence against enemy heroes. Blade Mail is worth considering against any lineup. |
 | Orchid gives massive mana regeneration and a damage amplification ability which synergises perfectly with Maledict, provided you can deal enough damage to the enemy which Soul Burn is active. Another late game luxury item to buy if you have the gold and time. The bonus 20 intelligence is pretty nice too. |
 | Ahh, hex. Late game the 3.5 second disable can allow you to deal a whole heap of damage with your ultimate, since hex reduces enemy MS to 100, meaning they can't run. However it's expensive and time consuming to farm up. A great item though if you can make it. |
 | A very useful item in the right hands. At level 3, Necrobook is a very powerful item if you can micro properly. Using the summons to deal extra damage to Maledicted enemy heroes and the true sight to make sure invis heroes cannot escape your wrath can net you a few extra handy kills. A difficult item to use well but a good item. |
 | Before you dismiss Dagon as a noobish item fit for only a few heroes, think about Maledict. A level 1 Dagon deals 400 damage and combined with level 4 Maledict, that's an extra 160 bonus damage from Maledict, and according to the calculations I did above, if you used the Dagon before the first proc of Maledict, then the total damage will be about 700 damage, which combined with the original Dagon damage amounts to about 1100 damage. So depending on the situation, Dagon can be a good option, but don't rely on it. |
 | Late game you should definitely upgrade your regular boots to Boots of Travel for the ability to reach ganks at global range with ease. The +95 movespeed alone takes you to 400ms. Expensive but worth it. |
 | Not always bought on Witch Doctor, but due to his need to get up close and personal with his enemies in order to kill them, he's likely to get damaged in his attempts, so a Mekansm is a decent item. But don't buy it as core, because it's not that great on him, but it's ok. |
 | Ahh, the good ol' Heart of Tarrasque. Despite it having been hard nerfed in the regeneration department, it is still a very good, if not the best, tanking item and gives epic amounts of health (1,060) which means you will last longer in team fights while channeling your ultimate. Expensive but worth the price. A good post-core item if you can afford it. |
 | Although rather expensive (2150 gold), the Blink Dagger can assist you greatly when it comes to positioning yourself with Death Ward. BKB + Blink + Combo or Blink + Combo + Wind Walk or Blink + Combo + Ethereal can be much easier than trying to walk into the middle of an enemy push and risk dying along the way. This way you get to where you need to be fast and easily, however the price can be somewhat prohibitive. |
iv. Rejected Items
| Please ignore any DPS items. Witch Doctor does not hard carry and he certainly doesn't do it with his physical attack. These items are basically a complete waste of money. |
 | Another wasted item. Witch Doctor doesn't need the attack speed so please don't buy attack speed items for him. Assault Cuirass is one of those items. |
 | Please. Just no. Two Death Wards may seem enticing, but it really isn't worth it. Steer clear of this expensive white elephant. |
 | While there are some support heroes who can justifiably buy Vladmir's Offering (Warlock, Crystal Maiden, Chen) on Witch Doctor I do not believe it is worth it. You are an offensive ganker, not a team fight supporter, and hence Vladmir's does not fit your style. Do not buy. |
5. Skill Builds
Ganking/Roaming skill build - recommended
Skills in bold indicate primary skill choices.
*Optionally Voodoo Restoration can be taken here if the laning situation isn't looking good or you are looking to babysit your lane partner
Skills in bold indicate primary skill choices.
| Level | Ability |
1. | Paralyzing Cask |
2. | Maledict |
3.* | Paralyzing Cask /Maledict |
4. | Maledict /Paralyzing Cask |
5.* | Maledict |
6. | Death Ward |
7. | Paralyzing Cask /Maledict |
8. | Maledict |
9. | Paralyzing Cask |
10. | Voodoo Restoration |
11. | Death Ward |
12. | Voodoo Restoration /Stats |
13. | Voodoo Restoration /Stats |
14. | Voodoo Restoration |
15. | Stats |
16. | Death Ward |
17+ | Stats |
Justification:
As a ganker, you really need to max Maledict and Paralyzing Cask as soon as you can, preferably by level 9. I need not impress upon you that Death Ward be taken whenever possible, because it's obvious that it should be so. Once Maledict and Paralyzing Cask are maxed, we can take Voodoo Restoration because it's not as important in your role as your other skills. Optionally you can take some stats if you are pressed for health and have little or no money. This build makes you ready to gank from level 6 onwards, once you have Death Ward.
If the lane situation looks grim, for instance if you are laning against Zeus and Lion for instance, then perhaps swap 1 level each of Maledict and Paralyzing Cask for 2 levels of Voodoo Restoration at levels 3 and 5, in order to keep you alive against their vicious nukes and disables. You can then take those levels of Paralyzing Cask and Maledict later on, when you would normally take the first two levels of Voodoo Restoration. Equally, you can take those levels of Voodoo Restoration if you are looking to play babysit to your lane partner because you are definitely capable of doing so. You may be a ganker, but the AoE healing alone qualifies you for early babysitting so don't discard it out of hand.
6. Game Breakdown
Early Game: 1 - 8
Early game is important for Witch Doctor because as a ganker/roamer, you want to be able to get an Urn and a Bottle as fast as you can because they will help you out tremendously post-ganks. In lane, try to get a few last hits on creeps to farm up the extra gold for the two aforementioned items, if your lane partner is the team's tank or carry, let them get most of the last hits, but still take a few for yourself. If you are laning with another support, share the last hits equally because likely you will both need gold. Once you get your first level of Death Ward, try to set up one or two ganks with other teammates because you are now a powerful ganking machine. Remember, when you gank, stun, Maledict, Death Ward in that order. Don't be too greedy or ambitious though when trying to score a kill. You are not a chaser and the only reason you can be called a finisher is thanks to Maledict. Don't give chase. If you can't kill them, try again next time. And certainly don't tower dive, not this early in the game.
Mid Game: 8 - 15
During the mid game you should be moving from gank to fountain to gank and repeat. By now you should definitely have both an Urn and a Bottle, along with Strength Treads, and be making a start on a Black King Bar OR Ghost Scepter depending on the enemy lineup. You should regularly replenish your wards because as a roamer, running into half the enemy team isn't going to be fun, so having a chance to avoid that is always worth while. It also helps because as a Rune whoring hero, it's good to know if there are runes with which you can refill your bottle or allow your teams mates to take if they are in need. By the time you reach level 15, you should hopefully be close to finishing your BKB or Aghanim's (whichever you decided to go for).
Late Game: 16 - 25
Once you reach level 17, you should've finished your BKB and be ganking as often as you can, but make sure that you are not going alone because 1-man ganking will inevitably get you killed when you lest want to be killed. Try to gank with your team as often as you can to try and score as many kills to keep them under leveled. If you are stomping then maybe you can go it alone once in a while but don't get into that habbit. It's generally best if you get Aghanim's then BKB or visa versa, don't try to get other luxuries in between. Of course, it's highly likely that the game will either be over before you can get your Aghanim's or BKB one way or another, so make it your goal just to get your core items and be happy with that because not all games are going to allow you to farm up. If you are on the defensive, Paralyzing Cask is a great ability because it will hit up to 9 creeps, landing a 5 second stun on each while dealing decent amounts of damage. Voodoo Restoration allows your allows to tank creeps waves more effectively and it also keeps them alive and out of the fountain for longer.
7. Allies and Enemies
Bestest Buddies
Mass disablers keep enemy heroes in place while you Maledict and Death Ward them. Large AoE stuns/slows are your best friends when they are on your team. In particular, of these heroes, Rooftrellen, Warlock, Enigma and Tidehunter rank as probably the best in the mass disable area, with Overgrowth, Upheaval, Black Hole and Ravage respectively.
This group of heroes amplify either physical or magical damage, which increases the output of either Maledict or Death Ward nicely. They ensure that you don't need to deal as much damage to effect the same result: a kill. The best of this group are Sladar (-15 armour), Dirge (30% damage amplification, magic and physical) and Tauren Chieftain (-80% base magic damage reduction and -80% base armour).
In general, Witch Doctor loves allies who disable enemies and make them take more damage. If you have one of each on your team, you are already doing well.
Worst Enemies
These heroes can silence you into oblivion, rendering you completely and utterly useless. Silence is one of your deadliest enemies, because not only can it prevent you from casting a spell, but it can also interrupt your ultimate, because it requires continuous casting. Some silences are more painful than others (Doom, Puck deal damage to go with their silences), but they all have the same effect: rendering you useless in team fights.
Stunners are another nasty group of heroes you want to watch out for. They interrupt your ultimate, making you useless and they also deal a decent amount of damage to you in the process. Look out for these guys cos they can make your life very difficult.
Mana burning is another pain in the arse you will have to watch out for. No mana = no spells = useless hero. You can't do anything in a team fight without mana and so you have to try and steer clear of these pesky heroes.
8. Tips and Suggestions
Paralyzing Cask:
Paralyzing Cask can be used for more than just ganking. Targeting up to 9 units, it's also a great pushing tool, disabling entire creeps waves for up to 5 seconds and dealing healthy damage, Paralyzing Cask can be great in pushing/counter-pushing strategies. On the defensive, it works just as well, taking out most of a creep wave for the best part of 5 seconds allows you and your allies to get into position to wipe out the offending creeps and get ready to either counter-push or defend against the next wave. And late game it's mana cost is relatively low so you can freely cast it and you aren't likely to run out of mana.
Voodoo Restoration:
In ganks and team fights, keeping Voodoo Restoration turned on can be a major asset to your team because of the 40HP/sec regeneration it provides in an area around you. While you are channeling Death Ward the extra health could prove invaluable. When defending, the extra regen can also allow you and your allies to tank super- and megacreeps more effectively.
Be Decisive:
If you only have enough mana to cast EITHER Paralyzing Cask, Maledict OR Death Ward consider the following:
- Is the current situation a team fight? If so, there are likely to be other disables flying around the place, meaning you don't need Paralyzing Cask. There are likely to be powerful DoTs going off as well, meaning Maledict isn't as needed either. So if it's a big team fights and you only have enough mana for 1 spell, I generally choose Death Ward and let it rip.
- Is the current situation a [3v1 or 2]/[4v1 or 2]/[5v1 or 2] gank? If so, you will generally not need more disables because you are not the only person in the gank, so Maledict is a good choice because in these situations, all the enemy will be thinking is "run", thus your best option is to give them something that will follow them for a good 12 seconds. Cast Maledict and help deal as much damage as you can.
- Is the current situation an enemy gank? If so, Paralysing Cask and (if you have enough mana) Voodoo Restoration is your best best. Stun the enemy as effectively as you can and flee with Voodoo Restoration turned on until you run out of mana. Sure you're gonna be useless until you've refilled but better running on empty than not running at all.
Above all, make you decide what to do and then do it, better that than hesitate and end up dead. Even if you make the wrong choice, you and your allies have a chance to make the most of that choice, whereas if you don't cast at all then you're in for a tough time.
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